Korean Pizza (Mr. Pizza Franchise) + Tartine Pie (Itaewon)

Before heading to Itaewon, we decided to stop by Mr. Pizza, one of the Korean pizza franchises that sells your not so typical pizzas. By far, this is the strangest pizza menu I've seen that really makes me treasure and miss the classic New York slice. The pizzas come in different sizes, usually 8" or 10" and have toppings such as beef, shrimp, potato, corn,  etc. I mean really, why settle for something that looks like your typical pizza when you can have the Korean slice? We took up this challenge and ordered this pie with avocado, shrimp, peppers, raw onions (yes, i meant raw onions, not just onions), olives, and then the other side was the same except there was bulgogi instead of shrimp. Imagine going up to a Domino's in the States and ordering that. What a mouthful. You thought the list of toppings was already too many choices? We haven't even started on the crusts. Oh boy. Korean pizzas sure love their sweetened variety. There's the original crust of course, and more--they have a cheese cap crust (stuffed with cheese), no edge (no crust), cream cheese, gold (stuffed with sweet potato), and hash brown. These sound decent, right? But wait, if you don't want a savory crust, you can always opt for dessert on the rim of your pizza. Mr. Pizza now also offers an egg tart crust AND a banana mousse crust. Talk about food experimenting! Dipping sauces for the crust are also offered on the side if you wish, such as blueberry, cream cheese, etc. Don't get me wrong, I admire Korean pizza chains for their creativity and food experimentations, but this pie was not my personal preference. The crust was rather soggy because there was just too much topping weighing it down, which explains why you eat it with a fork and knife. The original crust was too hard. The toppings themselves were good on its own, just on a pizza together was a strange combination. The onions were also too raw.

Moving on to Itaewon, we stopped by Tartine Pie, which made its cameo appearance on Running Man, when Yoo Jaesuk was doing a mission by the outside staggered blue benches right outside this place. The Itaewon branch actually has 2 stores directly across from each other, one with actual dining and meals too while the other is more of a cafe with the pies, and drinks. We opted to go for the cafe instead, since the Korean pizza had us pretty full from carbs.

I ordered an early gray cream pie and a blue lemonade. My friend ordered the pecan pie and the iced tea of the day. The earl gray pie was light, the filling was the consistency of a cream puff filling. The crust was buttery and decadent. The blue lemonade was refreshing. It was also carbonated as most "-ades" are here in Korea.

Traditional Korean Tea Houses in Insadong (Moonbird Only Thinks of the Moon 달새는달만생각한다) + Insadong

When you visit Insadong, getting some cheap souvenir shopping done is important, but so is trying out authentic traditional Korea dining that is harder to find in the city. To get to 'Moonbird Only Thinks of the Moon' walk down the main street of Insadong and pay attention to the small alleys as you go down the street. Unfortunately, Google Maps leaves out a lot of the small alleyways that should exist on the map, so finding your way around this neighborhood can be a bit of a hassle. Stop when you see Insadong 10-gil, and then turn right, keep walking straight down and you should see a white sign above a walkway that has a small yellow crescent moon and the Korean characters, 달새는달만생각한다. Walk inside and the entrance will be on your left. Slide the door open and be ready to get swept into an antique looking teahouse.

The menu offers cold teas and also hot teas, some are served in a teapot while others are in a huge cup. Rice cakes filled with red bean and a popped rice cracker is complimentary to any drink order. We ordered the cold Omija Tea, Sikhye, and the Frozen Persimmon. The total was 15,500 won.

The omija tea was perfectly tangy, the floating slush kept the drink cold and refreshing.

The sikhye was also very satisfying. Compared to the one we had at the sauna, this one was much lighter in sweetness and the bits of rice inside wasn't overly mushy at all.

The frozen persimmon was delectable. The rice crackers was a nice crunchy texture that complimented the teas, but the stickiness of the syrup that held the snack together wasn't t my liking.

The red bean rice cake was pretty sweet. Overall, I definitely recommend giving this place a try if you are looking for a more traditional tea house rather than a quick stop at a common franchise you can find at every corner of Seoul.

We also explored Insadong and tried on some of the traditional clothing, Hanbok, in the Ssamziegil Mall. There, you can pay 5,000 won to take photobooth stickers. They give you a booklet to choose the outfit you want to wear and then they pair it with accessories (the headband.) There are also gowns for "kings," so this place is still a good date spot to bring a boyfriend and take pictures together!

Lotte Department Store + Sulbing (설빙)

The Lotte Department Store is located near Myeongdong, and is one of the luxury malls to purchase all your duty free goods. We walked to Myeongdong from Line 2, the Euljiro-1-ga Station, so the department store was along the way. Once you enter the main entrance, there are signs for a tax refund station where you can get your tax refund. There is a kiosk to get another verification receipt and a separate counter where you get the money back immediately. When I made a purchase, they told me I had the option of having the refund completely automatically, but unfortunately, I did not bring my passport with me that day, so I was unable to do it that way. They do not accept any State-government issued id cards, only passports for tax refunds. I tried the tax refund center at a later date, and was also unable to get the refund. If you are staying in Korea for only a few weeks of vacation, you can get the refund at the counter, but since I am staying for another 2 months, I have to wait until the end of the next month, closer to my departure date. However, there is the option of just getting everything done at the airport, so don't worry about rushing to get it all done immediately after each purchase.

After shopping around for a bit, we stopped by a dessert cafe around the area called Sulbing (설빙). They serve a variety of traditional bingsoo with soybean powder and red bean topping, but we opted for a summer fruity version instead. We ordered the Grapefruit Mango Shaved Ice and Mango Hallabong Ade. The drink was strange. It had bits of pulp in it, but over time, the drink got worse and had a bitter orange peel taste. The shaved ice was good, but the mango chunks tasted like thawed frozen mango. The ice cream wasn't the usual vanilla ice cream that I was expecting, it was more like frozen yogurt. The shave ice itself was very light and fluffy. It reminded me of eating real snow, the way we used to stick our tongues out as a child during a snow day to catch the snowflakes.